Take a peek at a couple of excerpts:

- “My life growing up was a twisted Bronx version of The Color Purple.”

- “I’ve seen so many of the black males I grew up with end up dead or in prison.”

- “Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, my high school friends and cousins were taken down by drug-related violence. My own family was no different. We were torn apart by drugs and AIDS. I lost a lot of role models to that terrible twosome: dirty needles and a disease society didn’t understand.”

- “Take it from me because I should know: There’s a Tracy Morgan on every block in every neighborhood like the one I came from — that kid who’s off-the-wall funny, who takes on characters for any situation, who can entertain you when the s–t is going down. Entertaining people is how he gets through life, and watching him live out loud like that makes your day better. At least he hopes so. That guy was me. That guy is me.”

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“She is going to talk about Michael’s death and how it’s affected her and his children and the rest of the family,” a publishing industry insider close to Janet’s book deal reveals in the Aug. 31 issue of In Touch Weekly.

“A lot of it will focus on her battle with self-esteem and weight. She’s a huge success,” a friend adds. “But that’s not always what she has seen when she looks in the mirror, so the book will talk about how she has coped, and about her family relationships. She wants to help other young women out there.”

Janet’s book is expected early next year.

The acclaimed rapper is set to pen an autobiography in which he will open up about his life with wife Beyonce Knowles, despite their pact to never speak publicly about their relationship.

“It’s going to cover everything from his days on the streets as a drug dealer to his fairytale wedding to Beyonce,” a source told Britain’s Daily Mirror Wednesday.

“He’ll also be revealing his rapping secrets.”

The book, entitled The 50th Law, promises to reveal “how the power game of success can be played to your advantage.”

The 50th Law will published this fall and features chapters like “Turn Shit Into Sugar-Opportunism” and “Hood Economics.”

“Those who dismiss 50 Cent as a gangster should rethink, his continued presence in the Forbes rich list and entrepreneurial nous show there is a lot more to the man than his music,” says publisher Andrew Franklin.

He was 54.

His publisher Doubleday released the following statement on Harris’ passing: “We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris’ death at too young an age. His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere. Lynn was a warm and generous person, beloved by friends, fans, and booksellers alike, and we mourn his passing.”

According to Essence.com, the openly-gay author’s personal assistant confirmed that his health had declined in recent months but would not provide any details as to what may have caused his death.

Harris’ titles include Just As I Am, Too Good To Be True, Abide With Me, and his 2004 memoir What Becomes of The Brokenhearted.

His latest book, Basketball Jones, is about the gay lover of an NBA star. “In Basketball Jones, E. Lynn Harris explores the consequences of loving someone who is forced to conform to the rules society demands its public heroes follow. Filled with nonstop twists and turns, it will keep readers riveted from the first page to the last,” the publicity blub reads.

In the past, Karrine Steffans — The Human Semen Recepticle Formerly Known As “Superhead” — has been vocal about her bias against “Black Media.” With that in mind, The New York Times Best-Selling author has hit the promo track for her third book, The Vixen Manual, by catering to only “mainstream” media outlets.

Unfortunately for the “married mama of two,” the hosts of Sacramento’s CW Morning Show weren’t prepared to to give Ms. Steffans the kind of royal asslicking she’s grown accustomed to on other networks when she appeared on the show earlier this week.

Check Out Footage Of The Tense Interview Here:

How does being the Queen of Black Erotica impact dating?

New York Times Best-Selling author Zane sits down with Sister 2 Sister Magazine’s Jamie Foster Brown to discuss the influence her sexually-charged literature has had on her personal life.

My…she’s quite a big one isn’t she?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Karrine Steffans, author of the new relationship manual The Vixen Manual, shared some advice on finding and keeping the right man with The TODAY Show’s Hoda and Kathie Lee on Monday.

On Tuesday, hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter confirmed recent reports that he has inked a three book deal.

“Yeah, the other two books though, you know I had to sign that deal,” Hov confirmed in an interview this morning. “I’ve done the deal to do a book and the name of it is called Decoded. It’s called Decoded because I’m going to decode all the lyrics from my records. I’m gonna pick the select ones, all the double entendres and things that people may have missed or may have gotten but want confirmation on it. That’s what the book is about, it’s called Decoded.”